Integrating sources in responses - Using examples to support...

Learning Outcomes

After reading this article, you will be able to select examples from reading and listening sources and use them to develop, explain, and support your responses in the TOEFL Speaking and Writing sections. You will know how to introduce examples, connect them to your explanation, and combine ideas from multiple sources in an organized answer.

TOEFL iBT Syllabus

For TOEFL, you are required to demonstrate the skill of integrating sources by using examples from texts and lectures to explain and justify your answers. During revision, give attention to the following syllabus points:

• Select examples from reading and listening passages that are relevant to the question.
• Clearly introduce examples and connect them to the main point in your response.
• Explain how examples support or clarify your answer rather than simply repeating them.
• Combine information from different sources in a logical, supported way.
• Avoid copying source content directly; show understanding by restating and connecting information in your own words.

Test Your Knowledge

Attempt these questions before reading this article. If you find some difficult or cannot remember the answers, remember to look more closely at that area during your revision.

1. What is the main reason for using examples from sources in TOEFL integrated responses?
2. Outline the steps to connect a source-based example to your main answer.
3. What is the difference between repeating a source example and effectively integrating it in your response?

Introduction

In TOEFL integrated tasks, using examples from reading and listening materials is required to show your understanding and your ability to combine source material with your ideas. However, it is not enough to mention an example—you must make sure the example is directly connected to your explanation for a complete, supported response.

Key Term: Integrating Sources
Bringing information from a reading or listening source into your response. This includes explaining, combining, or supporting your answer with specific details from both types of material.

Using Examples to Explain and Support

Examples from sources are most useful when they clarify an abstract idea, give evidence for a claim, or make your answer specific and credible. On TOEFL, exam raters look for responses that cite examples but also clearly link those examples to the answer through explanation.

Key Term: Example
A fact, case, study result, process, or event taken from a source text or audio to clarify or support a main point in your speaking or writing.

Using examples allows you to show the effect of an idea, illustrate a process, or make your answer easier to understand. Remember, the strongest answers always explain why the example is relevant.

Connecting Example to Explanation

For every example you use, follow these steps:

1. Choose a relevant example that matches the point you are making.
2. Introduce the example with a phrase such as “The author explains that…” or “The professor gives the example of…”
3. Directly link the example to your answer with a sentence that explains what it proves or clarifies.
4. Restate the connection clearly so the logical relationship is explicit, not assumed.

Key Term: Synthesis
The skill of combining material from one or more sources and your own explanation in a way that directly answers the task.

Key Term: Clarification
Making your point clear to the reader or rater by using explanations, examples, or restatements.

Key Term: Support
Adding evidence, examples, or specific details to explain, justify, or strengthen your answer.

Avoiding Repetition—Analysing Significance

Listing an example does not earn high marks unless you also state why the example matters for your point. When preparing TOEFL answers, ensure that every example you mention is followed by a statement that clarifies how it supports, or illustrates, your central idea.

Selecting Strong Examples

• Use examples that are specific to the question—avoid generalities.
• Don’t overuse details; instead, focus on a single clear example that strengthens your point.
• Introduce the example briefly, and then explain its meaning or effect.
• Always restate the connection—do not rely on the examiner to guess how the information fits your answer.

Worked Example 1.1

Sample TOEFL Speaking Prompt:
Lecture discussion: The professor describes how beavers increase wetland areas by building dams, which leads to more plant and animal life.
Reading passage: The reading states that wetland creation benefits local ecosystems.

Question: Explain how the professor’s example supports the reading passage’s claim.

Answer:
The professor’s example of beavers building dams supports the reading’s claim by showing a process that directly increases wetland area. By explaining how this leads to new habitats, the professor provides evidence that wetland creation, as the reading states, is positive for plant and animal life.

Worked Example 1.2

Sample TOEFL Writing Task:
Reading: Discusses the theory that group projects improve learning by increasing social interaction and peer support.
Listening: The lecture gives an example of a classroom activity where students worked in groups to solve math problems and then taught each other different solution methods.

Question: How does the professor’s example clarify the theory presented in the reading?

Answer:
The classroom group activity given by the professor illustrates the reading’s theory because it combines social interaction with learning. The example clarifies how students use peer support to learn problem solving, showing one practical result of the group-work theory.

Worked Example 1.3

Sample TOEFL Speaking Task:
Reading passage: Defines adaptation as an animal's adjustment to its environment.
Listening excerpt: The lecturer describes desert foxes with large ears to help lose heat.

Question: Use the professor’s example to support the definition in the reading.

Answer:
The listening example of desert foxes with large ears supports the reading’s definition of adaptation. It shows a specific way an animal’s body changes for its environment—in this case, big ears help lose heat, adjusting to the desert climate.

Exam Warning

Many test takers only report details from the source without explaining their significance. Always show how the example supports your answer, or you may lose points for weak explanation.

Revision Tip

While listening or reading, write a short note about what point each example supports. Practice writing a simple sentence that links the example to your answer, such as: “This example shows that __.”

Summary

Source-based examples clarify, explain, and support responses—provided you show their link to your answer. Always follow each example with a sentence that restates how it supports your central point.

Key Point Checklist

This article has covered the following key knowledge points:

• Explain why examples are used to support, clarify, or explain in integrated TOEFL responses.
• Introduce examples clearly and connect them directly to your main answer.
• Always analyse or restate the significance of an example after giving it, not just repeat.
• Combine information from reading and listening sources to create well-supported, logical responses.
• Practice making the explanation–example link explicit for every task.

Key Terms and Concepts

• Integrating Sources
• Example
• Synthesis
• Clarification
• Support